Perfectly Calico
by Chaeramir
Summary: 11 years after the Voldemort's defeat, an orphaned girl called Theresa starts at Hogwarts. But there are still many dangers, ones which are only increased when she befriends the son of Voldemort's successor. HIATUS.
1. Prolougue: The Red Haired Girl

**A/N:** So, here's my first HP story. It's set about 11 years after book seven. Harry defeated  
Voldemort and is now Head Master of Hogwarts. So here it goes.

* * *

He struck the door with his fist hard, tired of waiting in the rain. His black hair was for once flat, and completely plastered against his head. His emerald green eyes were shadowed by dark smudges: results of many sleepless nights. He lifted his arm, ready to knock again when the door finally opened. A woman who looked to be about 40 peered out at him. 

"May I help you?" she asked in a small voice, her murky blond hair covering most of her face. He ran a hand through his own hair in annoyance.

"Yes. I'm looking for a girl called Theresa Savman. Is she here?" He saw her gray eyes harden.

"What do you want from her? She has done nothing to upset you," the woman said harshly. He sighed. The girl was probably a trouble maker of high talent. Many untrained witches and wizards were.

"She has not upset me," he said patiently. "In fact, I have a scholarship for her if she is willing to take it." The woman's face remained hard. If anything, she looked even more suspicious.

"Oh, so you do, do you," she said. He nearly groaned. God, it was freezing out.

"Can we talk about this inside?" he asked. He saw she was about to refuse. "Please. It's cold out here. I'm only trying to help." She sighed

"Very well." She opened the door wider for him, and he stepped inside, grateful for the warmth.

Inside it stunk. Really stunk. Like urine and dirty, sweaty humans. He wrinkled his nose in disgust. What a place to live. The woman closed the door behind him and led him down a hall, into a small room with a table in the middle. Surprisingly, he saw no children. He pulled out a chair, and sat down. The woman sat down too.

"First tell me, what is your name," she said, staring hard at him over the table.

"Harry Potter," he said honestly. There was no reason to lie to her. She nodded.

"Which school is it you are offering a scholarship for?" she prodded. This question was harder. He could not answer her truthfully.

"Droth Way," he said, altering the name. "It's in Ireland." She nodded again.

"Why have you chosen Theresa for this scholarship?" she asked.

"We have heard of her, shall we say, oddness." The woman glared at him, he ignored her.

"There is nothing wrong with her," she snapped. He felt an urge to roll his eyes at her, but resisted.

"I was not implying there was. We at Droth Way work with students such as her. We call the mentally gifted." He saw her eyes widen.

"There are others like her?" she asked. He nodded.

"I myself was one," he said. She was silent for a few moments. "I have a letter for her," he added.

"Show it to me," she demanded abruptly. He complied. It was forgery, of course. He could not let a muggle know of Hogwarts. The woman finished reading the letter, and handed it back to him. She nodded once, then rose to her feet.

"Come. The girls should be asleep." He was surprised that she had accepted so easily, but wasn't about to complain.

She led him down a different hall than the one they had come from, then stopped in front of a door. On it was written _GIRLS_ in blue pen. I looked like a five year old had written it.

The woman opened the door quietly. He heard a few squeals, and saw girls jumping into their bunks. When the she turned on the light all of them had found a bed, and were pretending to sleep.

"Theresa!" she called. It was obvious none of the girls were asleep, so there was hardly a need to be quiet. He saw a bundle of blankets on a far bunk move, and a young girl emerged. She had been lying so still he hadn't even known anyone was there. He watched as she wrapped the blanket around herself, and walked gracefully towards them. The girls all around were staring with looks of fear on their faces.

He himself couldn't help but feel slightly apprehensive as he watched her. Lord Voldemort had come from an orphanage as well, and he had come to be feared so much that few dared even speak his name, therefor calling him He-Who-Must-Not-Be-Named or You-Know-Who. Until Harry had killed him only 11 years ago, Lord Voldemort had been considered the most evil wizard there ever was. Somehow, the way this girl moved reminded him of the hated wizard. He almost felt like killing her there and then, but knew that would be unreasonable. He knew nothing of her! And her would lose his position as Head Master, and perhaps be taken to Azkaban, the wizard prison. He was, in fact one of the youngest Head Masters in the long history of Hogwarts, a title he was proud of.

"Mistress Fetulis?" she said as the woman closed the door behind them. Her voice was soft and raspy, almost a whisper. It sent a shiver down his spine, and the fact that her face was still hidden by the shadow of her blanket did little to ease his nerves.

"Tessa, Mr. Potter says he has a scholarship for you," the woman, Mistress Fetulis, said lightly as they made their way back down the hall. She nodded at him, signaling for him to explain the rest.

Tilting her head slightly, the girl looked at him as a cat looks at a canary; a look filled with curiosity and hunger.

"Droth Way offers a program for mentally gifted children, like your self. The school is located in Ireland with beautiful surroundings." That sounded cheesy, he silently scolded himself. "Take a look at our brochure." He handed her a yellow pamphlet as they reached the table he had sat at earlier.

The girl glanced quickly at the red paper he had given her, then sat down, finally allowing the blanket to fall and reveal her face. There was nothing abnormal about it, but then what had he been expecting? If anything, she was more beautiful than he had been expecting, more innocent looking. She had large, almost silver blue eyes framed by long lashes and set beneath delicate eyebrows. A full mouth gave her a sensitive look that her small nose accented. Dark red hair framed her face, its silky texture reflecting the light and forming ringlets that fell more than half way down her back.

_Soft... Red... Silky... Red like rose petals... Beautiful... Ginny... God, I love her..._

"I'll go." Her soft voice startled him out of his thoughts.

"Pardon?"

"I'll go to your school. Isn't that what you wanted?" He blinked, then frowned lightly. He hadn't thought she would accept do willingly.

"Ah... Yes! If we may have a moment alone?" He addressed the question to Mistress Fertulis. She scowled, but rose all the same. Once they were alone, Harry turned Theresa.

"Are you sure you want to go? You would only be able to return here on holidays and it is hard work. You don't have to decide right now." She smiled sadly.

"Honestly, Mr. Potter, anything is better than here. If there are other kids like me where we are going it just makes it all better." He nodded. That was sort of how he had felt when he first heard of Hogwarts.

"Then, if you really are sure, there are a few things you need to know." He drew a deep breath before continuing. "First off, the school is called Hogwarts, not Droth Way and it is in England." He said, then went on to telling her about muggles and the many wonders of the world of magic.

"I'll come later to help you buy your school supplies," he said as he left. She nodded, still looking shocked, clutching her welcoming letter hard to her chest. He smiled, _maybe she's not so bad at all. _Slowly he made his way through the rain, then just vanished into thin air. For a long time, the red haired girl stared at the spot he had stood, trying to comprehend everything that had happened in the last hour.

_I want to be like him..._

**A/N: ** Well, how was it? If it really sucks, feel free to tell me! Constructive criticism would be much welcomed. Please review!_  
_


	2. Welcome To Hogwarts

In one hand she carried a trunk full of her belongings, most of them being ones she had boughten within the last month, and in the other a bird cage. The inhabitant was a tiny, gray owl, only about 17 cm tall with massive, almost comically huge eyes that were perfectly round and very yellow. He flapped his small wings in protest every time his cage was jolted, which it was with almost every step she took.

"Sorry Cato," she whispered to him as he gave a high pitched scream of annoyance. A frown marred her delicate features as she stopped and looked around her.

"Platform nine and three quarters, platform nine and three quarters, platform nine and three quarters," she chanted as she looked around. She was standing between platform nine and ten, and there was nothing in between. She felt a shiver of fear run down her spine.

What if this was all just a joke? What if Hogwarts did not exist and this was just some scheme to get rid of her? She sank forlorn to the ground resting her head on her knees. Would anyone really be so cruel as to bring her hopes up like that, tell such a lie, then just let everything come crashing down around her ears again? Surely not. Could it really all just be some childish fantasy? It couldn't, could it? _No,_ she told her self firmly. _I saw Diagon Alley with my own two eyes. There were others like me. There was even a wand maker and a shop with flying broom sticks._ She glanced a Cato and smiled softly. No, it was real, she was sure.

_It smells faintly musty, yet at the same time clean. As they enter the store she notices boxes lining the shelves. There isn't much else in the store, not that there would be room for it anyways. It is a tiny place. For a moment she feels like she shouldn't be here, like she has just crossed into a forbidden zone. But as he enters behind her the feeling goes away. A small man comes out to greet them. He looks to be barely more than a boy with only a few stubbles on his chin. He smiles shyly at them. _

"_If it's a wand you need, then you've come to the right place," he says, pride in his voice. Behind her she feels, rather than sees Professor Potter, as she has learned to call him, nod. _

"_One for Tessa here," he says. The boy grins down at her. _

"_Excited to be goin' to 'Ogwarts then?" he asks as he measures her right arm. She nods, smiling a little. She can't remember ever feeling this excited before. He dumps the measuring tape on the ground where it rolls itself up, then he carefully takes down one of the many boxes that line the walls. _

"_Willow and dragon heart string, nine inches, very flexible," he states as he hands her a wand. She gives him a confused look, but he doesn't seem to notice. "Give it a wave," he suggests. Raising one eyebrow at him, she does as told. He makes an 'mmh' sound and takes it back, then hands her a new one. "Aspen and phoenix tail feather, seven and a half inches, swishy." It goes the same way as the first.  
_

_How many wands she waved around she can no longer recall, but it is a lot. He hands her yet another one, a black wand. _

"_Ebony and unicorn hair, eight and a half inches, springy," he states. As her fingers wrap around it a warm, tingly feeling spreads up her arms, into every part of her body. She feels safe. She waves it as she has done with so many others and watches its tip glow softly with silver blue light. Professor Potter grins and the man nods, looking slightly worn out. _

"_That be the one then," he says..._

"S'cuse me ma'm. Are you all right?" A guard was staring down at her, looking rather worried. She scrambled quickly to her feet, managing to knock Cato's cage over in the process. He screeched in protest and beat his wings wildly.

"I'm fine, thank you sir," she said as she tried to get the owl under control. "I just, um, well, there's train that's suppose to leave from platform nine and three quarters that I have a ticket for, only I can't seem to find it, the train, that is." His frown deepened.

"Platform nine and three quarters? I don't believe there is such a platform. Are you sure you're quite alright?" She nodded.

"See? I even have a ticket here in my pocket and—," a warm hand on her shoulder cut her rant short. She spun to see a tall woman with curly, chestnut hair and warm, brown eyes smile softly at her.

"There you are, Dear. I was looking for you," she said, winking. "The train is leaving soon, we must be on our way." She gently steered the girl away, dragging the enraged owl and the trunk along.

Once they were out of the guard's earshot stopped.

"Sorry if I scared you. On your way to Hogwarts, aren't you? Not just everyone carries an owl around, they don't make great pets for muggles, see. I should know too, my parents were muggles," she said all in one breath. "I'm Hermione Weasley, by the way."

"Theresa Savman," the girl said, grasping the outstretched hand. "But most people call me Tessa."

"Nice to meat you, Tessa. My boy Christopher Weasley is already on the train. It's his first year at Hogwarts too. Now, to get to platform nine and three quarters all you have to do is walk straight into the barrier that separates platforms nine and ten. Go on, give it a try." Tessa glanced at her nervously to see if she was joking but she looked utterly serious, then cautiously made her way forward.

"You've got to be confident, other wise it won't work," Hermione said. Closing her eyes, the girl increased her pace until she was at a steady sprint, bracing herself for a collision. It never came.

The foul smell of steam engine made her open her eyes. Before her was a scarlet train. It looked ancient, yet magnificent with 'Hogwarts Express' written in huge letters across it. She heaved a sigh if relief, feeling some of the tension leave her body. She had found it.

Then something crashed into her back, sending her sprawling on the ground. Cato screeched as his cage went flying out of her hand and was nearly trampled by the crowed of people. She would have screamed if there had been any air left in her lungs. As it was, something, or rather someone, was lying on top of her, effectively squashing her ribcage.

Quickly the person scrambled off her.

"Oh my! I'm so sorry! Here, let me help you up." A small, pale hand flashed into her line of vision. She grasped it and allowed herself to be pulled to her feet.

"I really am sorry. It's my first time here, so I was running through the barrier with my eyes closed, I never even saw you." The speaker was a tall, skinny boy with icy blue eyes and light blond hair.

"It's fine," Tessa gasped. "Perhaps we should get out of the way before more people come."

"Uh, right." He grabbed his trunk, then, seeing she was still out of breath, grabbed Tessa's stuff as well. "Lets go find a spot on the train."

Most of the train was all ready packed full of kids, so finding an empty compartment wasn't easy. Finally they found one that was almost empty. Staring out the window was a tall boy with a mass of curly red hair. He didn't look up until the the blond boy slid the door open.

"Do you mind if we sit in here?" he asked politely. The other boy smiled, causing his dimples to deepen.

"Not at all." The blond dumped their stuff on one of the racks over head, then slid into the seat opposite of the red head.

"I'm Theresa Savman," Tessa said, taking a seat next to the blond. "But most people call me Tessa."

"Christopher Weasley," the red head offered, still smiling widely. "But most people call me Chris."

"Really? I met your mother earlier. She helped me through the barrier."

"I'm Ray Malfoy," the blond put in. Suddenly Chris's smile disappeared.

"Malfoy?" he repeated as if he had just swallowed a mouthful of dirt. "Son of Draco Malfoy, by any chance?" Ray frowned, but nodded.

"How did you know?"

"What do you mean, 'How did you know'? He's only the current leader of the dark side."

"What?! My father abandoned me! He can't possibly be leader of 'the dark side', what ever that is. I didn't even now about the wizard world until some guy showed up at my foster parents house with a letter." Chris frowned in confusion.

"Are you trying to say you don't know anything about—, well, about him?"

"Yeah, that's exactly what I'm saying." His icy blue eyes seemed over bright, and his tone was defensive.

"So what exactly is the dark side?" Tessa interrupted, her curiosity getting the better of her.

"Well, it's a lot of wizards and witches that— , uh, I guess they're sort of evil. They don't believe that muggle born kids should be allowed to learn magic and they're against the Ministry of Magic." He scratched his head through red curls, looking thoughtful. "They use to be called Death Eaters and they were led by You-Know-Who— ."

"No I don't," Tessa interrupted.

"What?"

"I don't know who." Chris stared at her, then at Ray.

"You don't know either, do you?" he asked. The blond shook his head. "Never heard of the Dark Lord? Or, well, his real name is—," the door slid open and a tall, sturdy built black girl with black hair that formed tight, bouncy curls came in.

"Hey. Can I sit in here?" she asked in a soft, melodic voice. Tessa smiled.

"Sure," she said. The girl entered and sat down next to Chris.

"I'm Holly Idris," she said. The others all introduced them selves in turn.

"Christopher Weasley."

"Theresa Savman."

"Ray Malfoy."

"Malfoy?" There was the same suspicion in her voice that there had been in Chris's. "Related to Draco Malfoy by any chance?" Ray sighed.

"Yeah. I hear he's not exactly well liked." Holly smiled; she seemed at lot more laid back than Chris.

"That's one way to put it."

"So who is this dark guy anyways?" Tessa asked, picking up the conversation were they had left off.

"Right." Chris cleared is throat, leaning forward and lowering his voice. "His is so feared that few even dare speak his name, even now, 11 years after Professor Potter defeated him. His name was Lord Voldemort," he whispered. Holly wore the same haunted expression as he did. Ray glanced at Tessa.

"Oh. So this guy died, like, before we were born," he sounded almost disappointed.

"Yeah. Thank god. Do you have any clue how _evil_ he was?" Holly never had a chance to tell them just how evil he was, for at that moment a great clatter sounded out side the compartment.

"Anything from the trolley, dears," asked a plump woman, and indeed she pushed a trolley filled with weird looking packages. Holly leaped to her feet.

"Do you guys want anything? My parents gave me some money so I could buy a lunch, but I'm not really hungry." Immediately Chris was on his feat, picking out different kinds of candy. They ended up with a huge pile of food on the table.

"What are these?" Tessa asked, holding up a box filled with little bean looking things. She took one out and sniffed it suspiciously, then quickly shoved it back into the box.

"Ugh. Smells putrid." Holly grinned.

"It's Bertie Bott's Every Flavour Beans. They really do come in every flavour." She grabbed what looked like a brown frog and stuffed it in her mouth.

The rest of the ride was spent eating their way through the piles of weird candy and talking of Hogwarts. Slowly the sun set, and they changed into their long black robes. Finally the train slowed to a halt and everyone got off, filing on to a platform. A huge man with a long mass of wild salt and pepper hair came towards them, waving his arms.

"Firs' years! Firs' years over here! All firs' years!" he called in a massive, booming voice. Chris grinned and sprinted off toward him.

"Couldn't just wait for us other first years, could he," Ray grumbled, looking even more pale than usual. Slowly the other three made their way toward the giant. He was laughing merrily and hugging the small red head hard. Holly raised an eyebrow, looking mildly amused.

"Hagrid you're squashing me," Chris gasped. The giant let go, still grinning.

"I haven't seen ye in a long time, li'l Tyke. How's yer old man Ron doing? Ah, never mind, gotta get all ye over ter the castle. Firs' years! All firs' years over here! Is that all of ye?" He glanced around at the crowed of short people that had gathered around him. "All right. Only four to a boat," he said, pointing at a fleet of small boats that bobbed lightly on the black water. "Go on, get in with ye." He started ushering the reluctant children toward the boats.

Chris, Tessa, Ray and Holly managed to find an empty boat and carefully got in. There was a little water in the bottom that quickly soaked through their shoes. Ray shivered, wrapping his cape tighter around himself. The wind was picking up, spraying more water into the small boat.

"Everyone in?" Hagrid called from his own boat. "Right then. Forward!" The boats started moving across the lake that was steadily growing wilder.

"Looks like a storm's brewing," Hagrid called, looking up at the sky. Dark clouds were swiftly moving in across the moon.

"Full moon," Tessa whispered in awe. "I love the moon."

"Did I mention I hate sailing?" Ray asked. His face was going green and he had wrapped an arm around his stomach. "It makes me sick." He groaned loudly.

"Oh boy. He's gonna puke. That's so gross. Please don't puke in the boat," Chris said, leaning as far away from the blond boy as possible. He groaned again and leaned over the side of the boat. Suddenly they were jolted violently by a large wave. For Ray who was almost half way out of the boat it was enough to send him tumbling into the black water with a loud _splash_.

"Man over board!" Chris hollered, standing up and waving his arms around wildly, causing the boat to nearly tip.

"Get down!" Holly snapped, yanking at his pant leg. He lost his balance and nearly went the same way as Ray.

"You two stay at that side of the boat," Holly yelled over the howling wind. Then she reached over the side and managed to grab a hold of Ray's cape, cutting off his wind pipe as she pulled him in, then, with surprising ease, lifted him into the boat. He lay there at the bottom of the boat, gasping and spitting up water while his teeth chattering and his whole body shivering uncontrollably, his face nearly blue with cold.

Holly swiftly started yanking off his wet clothes and dumped them in a pile at the bottom of the boat. Tessa went down on her knees to help her.

"What are you doing?" Chris asked, still looking very pale.

"He'll freeze with those wet clothes on. Here, hand me your capes." They all did as Holly ordered, watching as she wrapped the her own cape around him. They hadn't even noticed that the boats had stopped moving and everyone was staring at them.

"Tessa, Chris, try and get his hands warm." They both knelt beside the shivering boy and started rubbing his hands fervently. Hagrid sailed up beside them.

"Is he alright?" he asked, looking ashamed of himself. Holly glanced up.

"Don't you know some spell that can warm him up a bit?" she demanded, looking very annoyed.

"Um, right." He cleared his throat loudly and pointed a pink umbrella at Ray. "Relashio!" Sparks went flying from the tip of his umbrella along with a wave of heat. Tessa raised an eyebrow at him.

"Is that your wand?" she asked. He looked away sheepishly.

"Well, ye know." He chuckled nervously. "Please don't go tellin' anyone," he whispered. "Right then. Shall we sail on?" The boats started moving forward again.

Ray had stopped shivering, but as they started moving over the wild waves again he groaned and sat up.

"I think I'm going to be sick," he said, and was, managing to throw up on Chris's lap.

"Eww! That's so gross!" the red head whined. Holly grinned looking relieved. "What are you smiling about?! How would you like it if it was you sitting here with puke all over you?!" he screamed, but no one was paying him any heed for ahead was the most magnificent sight they had ever seen. A huge castle loomed ahead on top of a cliff, its many towers and the brightly lit windows standing out against the black sky. Hagrid sighed in content.

"There ye have it, yer new home. Welcome ter Hogwarts."


	3. Beauregard

**A/N: **Sorry I took so long getting this chapter up. The only exuse I have is that I had exames... Anyway, I realized I forgot to add a disclaimer in the other chapters, so here it is.

**Disclaimer: **Characters and anything else from the Harry Potter books does not belong to me.

**Chapter 3: Beauregard **

Hagrid pounded on the hard, wooden door three times and almost immediately it was opened, light and warmth streaming out into the cold, dark night.

"Children, this is professor Golden," he said, glancing at the man who had opened the door.

He was tall. Almost ridiculously tall. That was the first think thing Tessa noticed about him, even though he stood only about to Hagrid's chin. His deep set eyes were jade-green and sparkled softly with laughter. Long lashes, dusty brown like his hair and thin eyebrows, framed them, giving him an almost feminine look.

"Welcome to Hogwarts," he said in a melodic, tenor voice, grinning widely and opening his arms as if to embrace them all. "Come in, come in. You must be freezing." He opened the door wider, allowing them all to mingle in.

"Now in a few moments the Start of Term banquet will start, but first you will be sorted into your houses." He went on to describing a point system for the houses and named them all, "Slytherin Gryffindor, Hufflepuff and Ravenclaw. These will be like your family while you are staying at Hogwarts," he said. "I trust you will all bring pride to your house. No rule breaking or such." He eyed them all, raising a single sandy eyebrow comically, making Tessa smile a little despite her buzzing nerves. She could tell she would get on well with him.

Finally the double doors sprang open, revealing the Great Hall, and it truly was great. Lit candles hung suspended in mid air, casting a steady light across the four tables that seated the rest of the students. The ceiling was a stormy black, the same colour as the night sky outside, showing only the slightest silver glow that was the moon.

At the front of the room sat the teachers. Tessa easily picked out Professor Potter with his messy black hair and emerald eyes behind their round lenses.

Professor Golden appeared in front of the whole school with a tattered witch hat on a stool. Tessa's eyebrows shot up in surprise. That had to be the ugliest, dirtiest thing she had ever seen.

And then the manky old thing burst into song.

So startled she was that she didn't even pay attention to what it was singing.

"Might want to close your mouth," Professor Golden suggested, appearing seemingly out of no-where to stand at her side. "We've been having a fair few bugs around lately. Hate to see you choke on one," he joked as the hat finished his song. The whole hall bust into cheers. Tessa could have sworn it was smirking as it bowed to the four tables.

"That hat is creepy," she whispered out of the corner of her mouth to Holly. The other girl covered a grin behind one hand as Professor Golden once more stood beside the stool.

"When I call your name, come forth and put on the hat," he said to the first years who all looked about as terrified as Tessa felt.

"Aaron, Shannon," he called, reading the name off a list he held in his huge hands. A tiny girls with blond pigtails stumbled over and jammed the hat over her head and eyes. After a few moments the hat screamed, "Ravenclaw!" The table second from the left exploded in cheers as the girl ran towards them, stumbling over her own feet.

"Angelina, Sandra."

Countless more went up before...

"Idris, Holly." Tessa gave the taller girl's shoulder a reassuring squeeze, hoping they would some how end up in the same house.

The big girl sat on the stool and pulled on the hat. Whereas it had fallen over the eyes of everyone else who had worn it, the hat fit Holly perfectly. After a few moments it seemed to nod, then screamed, "Gryffindor!" Holly walked almost calmly over to the table filled with students with red and gold decorating their black robes. Another fifty or so students were put in their houses. Then came a lengthy pause from Professor Golden.

"Malfoy, Raynold." He almost made it sound like a question. A hush fell over the students as the blond walked hesitantly toward the stool. He carefully let the hat slide over his eyes, and everyone waited for the its decision. Tessa noticed some of the Slytherin students standing up, trying to get a better look, their faces filled with excitement, whereas most of the other students observed him with looks of fear and disgust.

"Gryffindor!" the hat bellowed. Ray didn't receive any cheers. In fact, as he moved to sit beside Holly a huge boy a few rows down stood up and chucked an empty bowl at him. A hand full of other students rose to follow suit, yelling and swearing.

Holly rose suddenly, moving so quickly that her chair fell over back wards. Grabbing a spoon, she tossed it at the sandy haired boy who seemed to have started everything, hitting him on the head with a soft _pling. _He sat down again hard.

Placing both hands on the table, Holly sent a diamond cracking glare at the rest of the students, daring any of them to challenge her, until even those years older than her sat down and shut up. Looking mildly satisfied, though still positively deadly, the girl picked up her chair and sat down again.

Professor Golden's eyebrows shot up in surprise before her cleared his throat loudly and continued, clearly trying to pretend that nothing had happened.

"Maron, Kennedy."

Tessa's nerves were winding themselves into tight balls and unwinding themselves again as Professor Golden neared 'S' on his lengthy list of names. How she hoped to be in Gryffindor with Holly and Ray. She hadn't known them long (no more than a few hours, she reminded herself) but in that huge crowd of people they were the only ones that she knew.

Wringing her sweaty hands, she tried to wait patiently.

"Sanis, Kelsey." Tessa sucked in her breath, waiting for the next name.

"Savman, Theresa." She swallowed hard and started walking forward, trying not to look too nervous.

The hat dropped smoothly over her head and in front of her eyes, effectively blocking her view. _Good thing I'm not afraid of the dark anymore, _she thought grimly.

"Not afraid of the dark, eh? Well, that's a quality that would put you in Gryffindor," a small voice said. "Yes, you certainly are brave, but there's intelligence in here, too. Perhaps you'd do better in Ravenclaw."

_No! please, I want to be in Gryffindor, _she thought desperately, hoping the hat, or whatever it was speaking, would hear her plea.

"Gryffindor, eh? But that's your fear of being rejected speaking when you say that. A true member of Gryffindor House is brave. What about Slytherin? I see qualities in here that would make you perfect in Slytherin. No?" he, or it, said, clearly feeling her resistance to that idea. "Well then, you get your way this time. Gryffindor!"

She dragged the hat off her head and staggered over to the table, taking a seat beside Ray, releasing a breath she hadn't even realized she had been holding. Chris was one of the last left, but finally he, too, joined them at the Gryffindor table.

Professor Potter stood up, looking slightly nervous as his eyes darted around the room, a pale hand reaching up to run through his already mussed hair.

"To the new students, welcome. To the old ones, welcome back." He stopped, looking as if he really didn't know what to say next. "I hope you had a pleasant journey, and will have a good year." He frowned. "Well, enjoy the meal," he finally concluded after another lengthy pause. Food suddenly appeared in the dishes that had been empty only moments before.

Loading her plate, Tessa glanced around the table. To her right sat Holly, eating as if she hadn't seen food in weeks. On the other side of the black girl sat Ray, still looking slightly green and not touching his food. On her left sat Chris, inhaling his food at the same amazing pace as Holly. Across the table sat a beautiful boy with long, black hair, sun-bronzed skin and ebony eyes framed by long, luxurious lashes. He glanced up from his meal and, seeing Tessa staring at him, smiled. She quickly averted her gaze to her empty plate, blushing.

The meal seemed to drag on forever. Finally, after Professor Potter gave another broken speech, the prefects led them to their dormitories. Holly picked a bed next to Tessa, two other girls taking the remaining beds, but she was too tired to learn their names. The moment her head hit the pillow she fell into a deep, dreamless sleep.

* * *

"Pass the pumpkin juice please." 

Glaring at Chris, Tessa grudgingly reached forward, grabbing the jug and passing it down.

"How come you're so cheerful?" she demanded, resting her head on the table.

"How come you're so grumpy?" he shot back.

"She's just not a morning person," Holly said from across the table. "Which classes do we have first?" She directed the question at Ray who was bent over a schedule, studying it intently.

"Transfiguration and Potions."

Finishing their breakfast, they made their way to their first class, following a map Holly had somehow gotten a hold of earlier

Upon entering the class room they took the seats at the front of the room, though it wasn't without much complaining from Chris.

Atop the teacher's desk sat a woman with black, almond shaped eyes, hazel brown skin and violet streaked black hair tied in a spiky ponytail. Swinging her legs she glanced quickly around the room. When almost every seat was taken she jumped gracefully off the desk, smiling a crooked grin.

"Welcome, everyone, to your first transfiguration class. I'm Professor Yomina, your teacher." She looked far too young to be teacher, wearing a black spaghetti strap tank top that didn't look like something the students would be allowed to wear, according to the dress code.

"Now, since it's probably not going to stay sunny for long I've decided we're going to have our first lesson outside..."

Learning under Professor Yomina was not only informative, but also very entertaining. While taking turns reading aloud from a huge textbook, she would often tell them stories from her past.

"Well, once Professor Golden and I stole ingredients from the staff room to create a potion that would make the drinker an animagus," she had said, then demonstrated by transforming smoothly into a huge, black wolf and back. "We were of course not very old then. And you guys should never attempt something that stupid," she had added, sending them all stern looks.

"That was surprisingly relaxing," Ray commented when the class was over. Holly nodded.

"I thought transfiguration was suppose to be one of the hardest subjects," she agreed as they entered a room that appeared to be underground.

"Are you sure this is the right place?" Chris asked rubbing his arms to chase away the sudden chill that had entered the air. "It looks like a dungeon."

"Sorry about that." Professor Golden stood behind a desk at the front of the room, looking mildly embarrassed. "I've tried to get a better class room for us, but it seems this has been the potions room for a long time." He smiled apologetically, then turned back to the black board, directing a piece of chalk that was scrawling messy notes, seemingly on its own.

When everyone was seated he turned around, grinning so widely that Tessa wondered idly if his face would crack.

"Welcome to potions class," he said. "I believe you all know who I am. I hope you are all willing to work hard; brewing potions correctly is an art that requires intelligence and precision. Now, for today I'd like you all to copy down the notes on the board."

Getting her quill and and an ink pot, Tessa wrote.

* * *

After eating lunch, the four made their way to their way through the halls.

"So, Ray, what's next?" Chris asked the blond boy who had become their official schedule holder, directing them to each class.

"Hmm... Lets see. Herbology," he said. "Hope you all remembered gloves."

"Gloves?" Tessa stopped in mid step. "What do we need gloves for?"

"No clue, but it says here we're gonna need them. I said that just after lunch, Tessa, really." He was sending her a slightly annoyed look.

"Oh. Right. Guess I missed that. You guys go ahead, I'll catch up," she called, sprinting back the way they had come. Taking a right turn, she made it back to the Great Hall. _Right, now which one of theses halls will take me to the Gryffindor common room?_ She wondered. They all seemed to be identical.

Finally she did make it to the portrait of the Fat Lady that was the entrance to her destination.

"Silk Worms," she panted, doubling over as she tried to catch her breath. The portrait swung open, grinning.

"Better hurry or you'll be late for class, dear," the lady called, shutting behind the girl.

Racing up to her dormitory, she threw open her trunk, rummaging through it until she found a pair of thick gardening gloves.

Jogging out of the common room again, Tessa took a right turn in the direction she thought she had come from.

"That doesn't look right," she muttered, turning down another hall. Without Holly's map the castle seemed double the size and a lot more confusing.

Hearing voices at the end of the hall, she made her way in that direction, hoping someone would tell her how to get to the green house. Turning another corner, she saw someone who appeared to be talking to himself.

"Oh, come on! I wasn't doing anything wrong. No! Please, don't get Filch."

Tessa cleared her throat loudly, trying to catch his attention.

"Excuse me? Could you tell..." She trailed off as he turned around. It was the same boy that had sat across from her at the start of term banquette, and that she had spent her lunch staring at (which was probably why she hadn't heard Ray tell them about the gloves).

"Oh. Ah..." Looking past him, she spotted an ancient looking cat with dusty coloured pelt and huge, lamp like eyes. She walked towards it, smiling, and almost forgetting about the boy.

"Oh, aren't you a sweety," she cooed, squatting down to run a hand gently over its small head. The cat purred loudly, bumping itself against her. Grinning, she scooped it up, cradling it in her arms.

"Uh..." Behind her stood the beautiful boy, looking more than a little confused, his head tilted adorably to one side. "That's Mrs. Norris, you know."

Tessa smiled, "Mrs. Norris? What a silly name." The cat purred, if possibly, even louder yet.

"That's Filch's cat," he clarified.

"Oh. The janitor guy." Chris had mentioned something about him on the train the day before. Hastily, she put down the cat, stepping away. "He might not be too happy seeing you cuddling up to someone else," she informed it. "Run along now." The cat did as it was bid, its tail swishing softly from side to side.

"Wow. Thank you so much. I thought I was dead meat when she found me," Pretty Boy said, sighing in relief. "I owe you one." Remembering why she had gone that way in the first place, Tessa nodded.

"Actually, I have to get to Herbology. Could you tell me which way to go?"

He nodded, grinning. "I can do better than that," he said. "I'll walk you over."

"Thanks."

He turned around, leading the way back the from were she had come.

"So, you're a first year then?" Tessa nodded. "The castle seemed pretty big when I first came here, too," he assured her, smiling dazzlingly. "I'm a third year now. Beauregard Kashmir." He stopped, reaching out a hand.

"Theresa Savman," she said, taking his hand. It was warm and slightly calloused. "Most people call me Tessa, though."

He walked forward again. "Most people call me Beau." She made a noise that couldn't be described any other way than a snort.

"Beau, eh? How ironic," she muttered sarcastically under her breath. Luckily he didn't seem to notice.

Letting him lead her through the corridors of Hogwarts, Tessa glanced discreetly up at him from beneath her lashes. He really was beautiful, she thought, observing his blade thin nose, full mouth and surprisingly long hair tied in a pony tail at the nape of his neck.

Finally he stopped walking.

" The green house is just outside that door and around the corner to the left," Beau said. "And thanks again for saving me from that cat," he added, winking, then turned and jogged away.

**A/N: **I'll try to get the next chapter up soon, but only if you review!!


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